Takaya Kamikawa

Takaya Kamikawa (Japanese: 上川 隆也, Hepburn: Kamikawa Takaya; born May 7, 1965) is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor.^[1][2]

Takaya Kamikawa
上川 隆也
Born	(1965-05-07) 7 May 1965 (age 60) Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1989–present
Agent	Zero Light Years
Website	kamikawatakaya.com

Biography

Kamikawa was born in Hachioji, Tokyo in 1965. He graduated from Hachioji-Kita high school in Tokyo. While studying economics in Chuo University, he acted in a minor theatrical group which was touring around Japan and performing at local schools. Kamikawa left Chuo University without a diploma, and joined the group Caramel Box to become a full-time actor.^{[citation needed]}

In 1995, Kamikawa starred in a TV drama by NHK, Daichi no Ko, and played the leading role, Lu Yixin. The original author, Toyoko Yamasaki, initially wanted Masahiro Motoki to play the role. However, since most of the drama was filmed in China and required a lot of travel, Motoki was not able to meet the tight filming schedule. Then one of the staff found Kamikawa, who was still unknown, in a magazine.^{[citation needed]} Toyoko Yamasaki later commented that Kamikawa had been the right choice.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, he played Yamauchi Kazutoyo, the leading role of the NHK Taiga drama Kōmyō ga Tsuji.^[3]

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source
1995	Daichi no Ko	Lu Yixin	Lead role	[3]
1997	Mōri Motonari	Mōri Takamoto	Taiga drama	[4]
1999–2001	Omizu no Hanamichi	Shuichi Ishizaki	2 seasons	[5]
2000	Cinderella wa Nemuranai	Yoshinori		[5]
	Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta Koto	Shinichi Sayama		[5]
2003	The Great White Tower	Hitoshi Sekiguchi		[6]
2006	Kōmyō ga Tsuji	Yamauchi Kazutoyo	Lead role; Taiga drama	[3]
2010	Ryōmaden	Nakaoka Shintarō	Taiga drama	[4]
2012	Taira no Kiyomori	Taira no Morikuni	Taiga drama	[4]
2015	Angel Heart	Ryo Saeba	Lead role	[7]
2018	BG Personal Bodyguard	Goro Murata		[8]
2019	No Side Manager	Keiichiro Takigawa		[9]
2023	The Last Man: The Blind Profiler	Kyogo Godo		[10]
2024	Believe: A Bridge to You	Kazuo Hayashi		[11]

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source
1997	Tokyo Lullaby	Sadaji Asakawa		[3]
1999	Owls' Castle	Gohei Kazama		[3]
2025	The Last Man: The Blind Profiler – First Love	Kyogo Godo		[10]

Television animation

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source[12]
2007	Gurren Lagann	Anti-Spiral		[13]
2017	Kado: The Right Answer	Narrator		[13][14]
2018	Lupin the 3rd Part V: Misadventures in France	Enzo Bron		[15]
2021	Star Wars: Visions - The Village Bride	Vaan		[16]

Animated films

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source[12]
2009	Gurren Lagann the Movie	Anti-Spiral		[13]
2011	Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison	Maroi		[13]
2013	The Tale of the Princess Kaguya	Prince Ishitsukuri		[13]
2025	Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League	Kuraku Hagane		[17]

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source[12]
2008	Professor Layton and the Unwound Future	Stun Gun, Allen Dimitri	DS	[13]

Japanese dubbing

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source[12]
2016	Finding Dory	Hank		[13][18]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Work(s)	Result	Source
1997	21st Elan d'or Awards	Newcomer of the Year	Himself	Won	[19]
1998	21st Japan Academy Film Prize	Newcomer of the Year	Tokyo Lullaby	Won	[3]
1999	2nd Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix	Best Supporting Actor	Omizu no Hanamichi	Won	[5]
2000	3rd Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix	Best Supporting Actor	Cinderella wa Nemuranai	Won	[5]
	23rd Japan Academy Film Prize	Best Supporting Actor	Owls' Castle	Nominated	[3]
2001	4th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix	Best Supporting Actor	Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta Koto	Won	[5]
2002	5th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix	Best Supporting Actor	Omizu no Hanamichi (S2)	Won	[5]
2004	7th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix	Best Supporting Actor	Shiroi Kyotō	Won	[5]